27 April 2022: I sent out my e-newsletter, with links to recent blog posts and new material on my website. 26 April 2022: I scripted an animation for TED-Ed, A Vampire Riddle. I embedded the video in my new Slumber Theory page. 29 March 2022: I scripted an animation for TED-Ed, A Riddle of Ice… Continue reading News →
In my last post, I shared some generalities about puzzle creation. Today, I will zero in on the specifics of creating puzzles for the mathematics classroom. I will do this by way of analyzing some examples. Multiple Paths A characteristic of all classrooms is that they are constituted of students whose backgrounds and talents vary… Continue reading Puzzles for the Classroom →
John Golden asked whether I had written about my approach to puzzle creation. I’ve only written a brief post on the subject, five years ago. Yet I believe that my work as a curriculum developer is largely based on my involvement with puzzles: solving them, constructing them, editing them. Of course, puzzling is not the… Continue reading Puzzle Creation →
In Part 1, I discussed my relationship with NCTM, its Standards, and its journals, mostly The Mathematics Teacher. In this post, I discuss NCTM conferences, and compare them with other math teacher gatherings. NCTM Conferences vs. Local Conferences I’ve had much, much better luck attending great sessions at my local Northern California conference in Asilomar… Continue reading On NCTM, Part 2 →
I’ve really enjoyed solving the puzzles in Euclidea, a brilliantly designed app for iOS and Android. The basic format is “given this, construct that”. You start with just two tools: a straightedge and a slack compass (i.e. a compass that does not remember the radius it was last set to). As you find useful and… Continue reading Stumped by Euclidea →
I will offer two workshops this summer (2017), at the Head-Royce School in Oakland, CA. Sign up for either or both! June 26-27: Hands-On Geometry (grades 6-10) June 28-30: Transformational Geometry (grades 8-11) If the times or locations don’t work for you, I can offer a workshop for your school or district. Contact me directly.… Continue reading Geometry Boot Camp! →
In between June 27 and August 4, 2016, I presented seven to ten workshops (depending on how you count) ranging from a couple of hours to four days. I share most of the handouts, resources, and slides on my Summer Workshops site. (See below my signature for more details on what’s there.) The site will… Continue reading Eclectic →
New on my Web site: → Animated slides on the Lab Gear model for signed number arithmetic. Note that for each operation, the model is based on what students already know. For addition, you put down the first number, then the second number, and finally count. For subtraction, you put down the first number, take… Continue reading Animated Demonstrations →
One way to discover or apply the formula for the area of a triangle is to explore area on the geoboard. The initial activities should be along the lines suggested in my Geometry Labs Lab 8.4. (Free download.) After that, one can zero in on triangles, by asking a question like: “Find triangles of area… Continue reading Geoboard Triangles →
I only attended a few sessions at NCTM-Boston, because I spent a fair amount of time promoting the Lab Gear. I already posted my report on Geoff Krall’s strategies to improve the problems we find in standard textbooks. In this post, I’ll go over some of the other worthwhile ideas I came across. – Scott… Continue reading NCTM wrap-up →